


I Was Enchanted (To Meet You)

by thereginamilf



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:47:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29075835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thereginamilf/pseuds/thereginamilf
Summary: Regina goes about her life, never satisfied. Until a little girl shows up on her door step.
Relationships: Belle/Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
Comments: 20
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Um, hi. I don’t know how to write so here. ;( And I know this is really short, but I’m planning on continuing it. I just want to see if it’s something people will actually like or not. I actually got the idea off of twitter.

Regina opened the fridge, trying to decide what she was going to have for dinner. Henry was with his friends, like always, so she decided on leftovers instead of making a big meal meant for one. 

She was in the middle of plating her food when a quiet, but loud enough, knock interrupted her thinking. About Henry, about the normalcy that had washed over the town once she was crowned ‘The Good Queen’. 

The truth was, Regina wanted nothing to do with the title. She had been trying to escape titles her whole life. She just wanted to be Regina. In the end, there was nothing she could do. So she continued on; watching everyone get their happy endings. 

Snow and Charming, Emma and Hook. 

Regina still remembers the day, very clearly, when Emma and Killian decided to leave. 

Hook had found out what happened between Emma and Regina, something she’d rather not speak of, and something she wasn’t proud of, and asked Emma to choose between them. Regina knew he was just jealous and angry about what ha happened, but she didn’t expect for them to move out of the town. 

Emma had to pick; Regina or Killian. 

Regina understood why Emma chose who she did. Emma thought nobody would accept them or understand, but that doesn’t mean it hurt any less. 

And yet, here she was. Emma and Hook moved hundreds of miles away into the real world, and moved on with their life. And Regina was trapped here, alone. 

She brings Henry back and forth to the town line every weekend, sending him over and picking him up, never able to see the other woman who she had grown to care for so much in such a small amount of time. 

Regina slid her dish into the microwave and turned it on, sighing as she made her way to the foyer and unlocked the door, swinging it open. 

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and then a small voice brought her attention downwards to a small girl. 

Regina’s breath hitched in her throat. 

She had long, dark brown hair and dark eyes. Her facial features matched those of Regina’s. If it weren’t for the fact that Regina had no idea who this child was, she would think the little girl was hers. 

“Hi.” The girl said, giving Regina a shy wave. 

“Hello. Are you lost?” Regina asked, placing her hand on the door and leaning forwards, her head moving side to side to make sure the girls parents weren’t around or looking for her. 

The little girl shook her head and tugged her back pack straps forwards, her little face growing pink.

“No, my name’s Hope. I’m your daughter.”


	2. Chapter 2

Regina stifled a laugh and looked down at the young girl, her head tilting, questioningly. Her smile faded when she saw the serious look on Hope’s face. 

She placed her hand on her stomach and cleared her throat, looking around again. 

“Where are your parents? I’m sure they’re worried sick about you, you should get home.” Regina said, her hand moving to rest on her hip. 

“But I just told you. You’re my mom.” Hope responded, her hand moving to her hip as she mocked Regina's stance. 

Regina raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her forehead, shaking her head. 

“I don’t understand how that’s even remotely possible. It doesn’t make any sense at all. You’re mistaken.” She said, moving backwards and ushering the small girl inside. 

“It’s cold, come on.” Regina breathed, stepping aside so that Hope could move past her. 

“I’m not mistaken. My Ma told me exactly who you were and where you lived, that’s how I found you. She told me about this town and how my dad isn’t really my dad. I mean, Henry knows too. I think you and my dad are the only ones who don’t know.” Hope rambled, tossing her bag onto the ground in the foyer and turning back towards Regina. 

Hope crossed her small arms across her chest and tilted her head as she looked up at Regina, her long, wavy, hair that was tied half up, half down in pigtails, tumbled down her back and shoulders. 

“And who is your mother?” Regina asked, placing her hand on the wall. 

Hope inhaled and shrugged, her eyes moving to look off to the side.  
“You’re just going to call her and she’ll be mad and my dad will get mad and I’ll get in trouble.” She huffed. 

“Well, maybe you should get in trouble. You ran away from your house and are claiming that I’m your mom. Which, as I’ve said, is impossible because I’ve never, you know, pushed one out, let alone given someone a child.” Regina ranted, looking at Hope as if that was the most obvious thing ever. 

“There’s such a thing as magic.” Hope mumbled, rolling her eyes, causing Regina to scoff. 

“Okay, alright,” Hope mumbled, “My moms name is Emma. Emma Swan. And my dad is Killian.” 

Regina actually laughed. Her hands moved to her knees as she tried to control herself. She wiped her eyes once she finished and held her hand to her stomach, unable to suppress the short laughs that came out as she stood up straight again. 

“You… you can’t be serious.” She asked, her eyes settling on the little girl who looked absolutely appalled by Regina in that moment. 

“Of course I’m being serious, why would I come here, looking for you if I weren’t? I could be in a lot of trouble.” The little girl said, her brows furrowed in a way that looked so much like Regina, it scared her. 

“Oh.” Regina breathed, her head bobbing up and down as she began pacing. Her head turned as she looked the girl up and down over and over again. 

“How old are you?” 

Hope shuffled a bit under Regina’s intense gaze, her fingers toying with the hem of her shirt.  
“Nine. I’m almost ten.”

Regina nodded and thought of the last time she’d seen Emma. It was actually the same amount of time, a little over nine and a half years ago. 

She remembered the day so clearly. Regina had tried to show up to the group’s goodbye, but she couldn’t find it in herself to stand in front of almost the entire town and say goodbye to one of the only people she cared for anymore. One of the only people she gave her love out to. 

Regina shook her head. She couldn’t seriously be considering this, could she? It was impossible. She couldn’t have a child with Emma. It shouldn’t make sense. 

But it does. 

“I’m calling your mom.” Regina stated, making her way towards the kitchen. 

Hope immediately followed after her, her fist grabbing the back of Regina's shirt and tugging on it. 

“No! Please! I just want my family together!” Hope said, her eyes swelling with tears as she watched Regina pick up the phone. 

“I’m not your family. You’re mistaken.” She repeated, her eyes staying off the young brunette as she dialed Emma’s number. 

She couldn’t look into Hope’s eyes. She knew exactly how she felt. Regina knew the truth and that Hope could possibly be her daughter. There were other ways, and her and Emma had made love and said things to each other. Their emotions and magic combined together could’ve done it.

But she refused to believe it. Not after what she went through with having to lose Emma the first time, not after Emma chose someone else over her, someone who used Emma as a trophy rather than a partner. 

She held the phone to her ear, ignoring Hope who was protesting and begging her to stop with tears now streaming down her cheeks. 

“Regina, I don’t have time for this. My… someone’s missing and... I’m just too busy.” Emma’s voice said. 

“Emma, shut up,” Regina said, her eyes closing as Hope went silent behind her, her small fingers letting Regina’s shirt go.  
“She’s at my house.” 

On the other line, Emma’s face went pale. She stuttered before she stopped trying to speak, her hand covering her mouth. 

“Regina, what did she say?” 

“Nothing. Come get her.” Regina ended the call and slammed the phone down on the table, her own teary eyes looking down at Hope as she turned to face her. 

“You don’t want to be a family?” Hope whispered, her chin wobbling as she tried to suppress her sobs. 

“Hope, I’m not your family. Your family is worried sick about you. Your mother sounded so stressed, I’m surprised she hasn’t called the cops yet.” 

“So you care about her? My mom. You care for her?” Hope asked, hopefully. 

Regina sighed and placed her head in her hands.  
“Of course I do. In… in a friend way. You really scared her. You're lucky you didn’t get taken or lost.” Regina scolded the young brunette. 

“I wouldn’t. I knew exactly where I was going and I came straight here. You're my mom, and you know it. So why are you denying it?” Hope asked, moving forwards so she was only inches from Regina. 

“Because this is utterly impossible and… and, just because.” Regina huffed, backing away, grabbing her phone, and stalking off towards the living room. 

Hope followed and grabbed her back pack off the ground, jumping on the couch. 

She unzipped it and sifted through it, grumbling to herself for a moment before she tugged out a necklace that had a tiny red diamond in it. 

Regina plopped herself down on the couch with a sigh and watched Hope, her eyes flicking from the bag to Hope and then to her hand. She gasped and reached out, grabbing the necklace from Hope and holding it in front of herself. 

Hope let her take it and bit her lip, waiting for Regina to say something, but she didn’t say anything.

“It’s my moms. She told me how you guys got them together. Yours has a red diamond and my moms had a yellow diamond.” Hope said, her eyes moving between Regina’s. 

“She wears it everyday. I stole it from her when she was sleeping… but other than that, she wears it everyday, all day.” Hope smiled. 

Regina chuckled and shook her head.  
“I see you inherited your mother’s stealthiness.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Hope said, lifting her chin, proudly. 

Regina sighed and handed the necklace back to Hope, eyeing the young girl and giving her her most serious face. 

“That means nothing. It’s just a necklace.” Regina said. 

“Well, if it’s just a necklace, why are you still wearing yours? After almost 10 years?” Hope asked, eyeing the necklace with the yellow diamond around Regina’s neck. 

Regina let out a heavy breath, her hand moving to toy with the necklace.  
“I don’t know.” She whispered, shrugging. 

“You love her.” Hope stated, sitting up on her knees. 

“You should get some rest. I have a guest bedroom where you can sleep until your mother comes.” Regina said, completely ignoring what Hope had just said. 

“No. Stop brushing me off and ignoring me like everyone else. You love her, and you know it’s true.” Hope said. 

And that was it for Regina. 

“No, I won’t crawl back to her, begging for a relationship that never would've worked out, anyways. She chose someone else over me and left. She just… left. She left Henry, who was your age at the time. She left me to explain to him why his Ma left all of a sudden, and why they wouldn’t be seeing each other everyday as they had gotten used to. You’re right, I did love her. She was one of the only people I loved anymore, one of the only people I trusted. And she broke that trust all because she didn’t want to go down the hard road. She wanted to lie back and put her feet up, and go the easy way. I was willing to put in the hard work to be with her and she left. Emma left. Not me. So stop taking your anger out on me and go get some rest before your mother comes.” Regina snapped, her hands shaking by her sides as she looked down at the young girl.

She had stood up sometime between the scolding and she watched as Hope nodded, standing from the couch. She clutched the necklace in her small fist and tugged her back pack onto her shoulder, following Regina upstairs without another word.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slight trigger warning? I don’t know, they talk about Killian not being the best dad in the world. 
> 
> Also, I looked over this like 4 times, but it’s almost 10pm and I’m exhausted so I’m sorry if there’s mistakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. <3

Regina helped Hope get comfortable in the guest bed, her fingers wrapping around the blanket so she could tug it over the little girls shoulders. 

She placed Hope’s backpack on the bedside table and then stood, crossing her arms. Whenever she was in this position, it was with Henry and Regina would normally kiss him goodnight and leave, but she wasn’t sure what to do at this moment. 

Regina would give anything to have her young son back. He was now almost 21, barely living at home except when he went to bed and when he stayed home for a relaxing day on rare occasions, and when Regina had to drive him to the town line to see his other mother. 

Hope stared up at her with dark, sad eyes and then turned, pulling the blankets over her shoulder with a sniff. Regina could tell she was upset, so she made her way out of the room. She normally knew what to do in these types of situations as she had dealt with many of Henry’s meltdowns, but she couldn’t for the life of her think of what to do. 

She walked downstairs and into the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water just in time to hear Henry bursting through the door. 

“Henry, please try to be quiet.” Regina called to him as she walked into the foyer and scrunched her nose. 

“You need a shower.” Regina frowned, an eyebrow raising as she realized Henry wasn’t even looking at her. 

“She’s here?” Henry asked, his eyes darting towards the stairs. 

Regina stuttered and then nodded, crossing her arms.  
“Yes... and I’m assuming you know?” She asked, nodding when Henry nodded his confirmation. 

“You actually believe her?” Regina asked.

“Well, yeah. Ma told us how it was… you know… done and that she’s yours and all that other stuff.” He mumbled, tucking his fingers into his back pockets and nodding. 

“I’m just gonna go to bed.” Henry said, walking towards the stairs. 

Regina hesitated and then grabbed his arm, turning him towards herself. 

“So… she’s definitely mine? This isn’t some sort of joke?” She asked, looking up at Henry.

Henry sighed and shook his head, “It’s not a joke, mom. Ma wouldn’t say it if she didn’t mean it. None of us are lying. She’s your kid, and Emma’s been telling Killian she’s his because he’s a dick.” 

“Language.” Regina said, placing her hands on her head again. This whole situation was giving her a headache. 

Henry shook his head.  
“No, mom. You have to understand, Hope wouldn’t do this for no reason. She could be in serious shit with Killian. She knows better than to go and break his rules and she ran away to a whole other town, claiming that another woman is her mother. Hope could be in some deep shit right now. She’s always going against him and she’s always stuck in that room because of it.” Henry said, remembering a time when Killian got so angry he put Hope in her room for several hours and Emma had to bring her dinner upstairs when Killian had gone to bed. 

“Thing is, he gets mad easily. Emma always calms him down but he just sticks her in her room and grounds her. He doesn’t even treat her like his daughter. She started asking questions when I would come from Storybrooke to the real world. At first she just wondered what it was like to be on our side. She can see you, you know. You might not be able to see them, but they can see you. I know Ma still has feelings for you. She practically melts when she sees you at the line. But anyways, Hope would always see you and think you looked just like her. That would make Killian upset. And that’s when Ma told us.” Henry said, ready to continue but he wanted his mom to process everything that he was saying. 

When Regina didn’t say anything but stare at him, he continued.  
“She sat Hope and I down and said that it wouldn’t make sense that Hope was Killian’s. Ma said that she never had sex with Killian until after they moved to New York because he would barely look at her after he found out about you two, and before that, they just never got to doing it.” He shrugged. 

“She said it only made sense that Hope was yours because you’re the only person she slept with. Not that that was something I wanted to know about but, it’s whatever I guess.” Henry finished, shrugging again. 

Regina cleared her throat and nodded her fingers running through her hair. She toyed with the necklace again and jumped when there was a loud and urgent knock at the door. Regina didn’t think it could be Emma because she thought it would take much longer, but it had been a little over an hour, and Emma could just poof herself to Regina’s door once she was over the line. 

Regina shook her head and made her way towards the door. 

Henry placed his hand on the railing of the staircase and leaned on it, looking out of the window by the door. He smiled when he saw a flash of blonde and sat down on the steps, watching his mother open the door. 

Regina put on the best smile she could offer and leaned against the doorway.  
“Miss Swan.” She greeted, crossing her arms. 

“Cut the shit, where is she? I need to see her.” Emma said, not buying what Regina was giving her. She stood on her toes and looked past Regina, smiling when she saw Henry. 

“Wow, alright. Come in.” Regina scoffed, shaking her head and stepping aside. 

Emma gave Regina an apologetic smile and walked inside, her lips breaking out into a wide smile when Henry hugged her.  
“Hey, kid.” Emma laughed, her hand rubbing his back. 

“Hi, Ma. She’s upstairs sleeping.” Henry told his other mother. 

Regina walked past them and made her way up the stairs and Emma took that as her cue to follow. She gave Henry a half smile and quickly ran up the stairs, two at a time, until she was right behind Regina. 

Regina could feel the woman’s eyes on her and she shivered, her hand reaching out to turn the knob on the guest bedroom door. She paused and turned her head over her shoulder, her eyes looking up at the blonde behind her. 

Emma shuffled a bit and kept her eyes off of Regina, her fingers toying with the hem of her shirt. Emma tucked her hair behind her ear and cleared her throat, gesturing for the other woman to open the door. 

“I’m kinda.. I’m worried… I want to see her.” She mumbled.

“Right.” Regina sighed, turning the door knob. She half hoped Emma would give her some sort of explanation and tell her what the hell was going on. But that clearly wasn’t on the agenda. 

Regina opened the door and stepped to the side as Emma practically ran in and sat on the bed beside the young girl. Regina watched as she gently shook her awake. 

She wasn’t able to help the small smile that graced her lips when she watched Hope sit up and wrap her arms around Emma, holding her close. It brought back old memories and Regina suddenly found herself wanting to be in Emma’s position more than anything. 

Regina leaned against the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. She looked out of the doorway, not realizing that two sets of eyes were planted on her. 

“Regina…” Emma whispered, trying to get the other woman to look at her. 

Regina closed her eyes and let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She couldn’t explain to anyone how hard it was to not hear her name coming out of Emma’s mouth for such a long time. It’s been forever since she heard Emma’s voice. It was one of the only things that calmed her, helped her feel okay. 

And now it was something that made her eyes fill with tears as soon as she heard her name.

Regina cleared her throat and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She didn’t miss the immediate padding of feet she heard and then the door opening. 

She sighed heavily when she felt a hand on her arm and allowed herself to be pulled into her bedroom, her eyes falling to the ground as she stood in front of one of the only people she willingly gave her love to. 

“Will you at least look at me?” Emma asked in a whisper, dipping her head to try and catch the brunette's eyes. 

“I can’t.” Regina whispered, a sob catching in her throat when Emma’s arms wrapped around her. 

Regina buried her face in the woman’s neck, her arms gripping the back of Emma’s shirt as she inhaled the woman’s scent, old memories flashing through her mind. 

“You left. You never loved me.” Regina whispered between sobs. 

“Regina…” Emma whispered, pulling back and using her finger to lift Regina’s chin. Emma looked into the other woman’s eyes and shook her head. 

“That’s not true.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slight trigger warning? Just them talking about Killian. 
> 
> Also, I think I’m going to start trying to upload on a specific day. Like every Friday or something.

Regina’s eyes flicked between Emma’s. She sighed and stepped back, watching as the blonde's hands fell to her sides. 

“No.” 

“No?” 

“No. I won't let you do that.” Regina whispered. 

“Do what?” Emma asked, her face scrunching in confusion. 

“You chose him. You can’t just come back and tell me that you loved me. That’s…. no.” Regina stuttered, shaking her head. 

“But it’s the truth, Regina. I do and I never stopped loving you. I was a coward. I admit it, alright? I was a coward. But I truly loved you, and I still do.” Emma said, trying to get the other woman to understand. 

Regina shook her head again and crossed her arms, stepping further away from the blonde and then turning fully. She kept walking until she was out of the room and closing the door behind her. Regina walked downstairs to her study and closed the door. She sat down on the couch and stared down at her hands in her lap, blinking away tears. 

Emma stayed put, knowing not to push the brunette. She just needed to give her time and hopefully, Regina would come to her when she was ready. 

Emma walked to Henry’s room and knocked, opening the door a crack. She scrunched her nose at the smell and stepped inside.  
“God, kid. What the hell is that smell?” She asked, using her shirt to cover her nose. 

Henry groaned and stood up from his bed, tossing his game to the side.  
“You and mom are so dramatic. It’s not even that bad. Also, how did it go?” He asked, moving to stand in front of Emma. 

Emma sighed and shook her head, tucking her thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans.  
“Not very well. I should probably take Hope and go. I don’t think I’m wanted here and I know not to push your mother.” 

Henry nodded, “Maybe she’ll let you stay. It’s pretty late.” 

“Yeah, maybe. But I can’t, I need to get home. Killian’s pissed. I tried to get Hope without Killian knowing, but it didn't work out.” 

“Why? What’s his deal? He’s always so mean to her and it’s bullshit.” Henry said, crossing his arms. 

“I know. I try to calm him down, but ever since Hope started back talking to him and calling him Killian, telling him he’s not her father… he’s gotten angrier and angrier. He made her skip school once and stay in her room all day when he went to pick her up from school, and she refused to go with him, claiming that he “wasn’t her father”. I just wish she’d relax in that whole situation.” 

“That’s not fair to you or Hope. I understand his anger, but it’s true. He’s not her dad. I think it’s stupid that he makes her stay in her room. Why aren’t you stopping him? Maybe he should just get over it and stop making you stay with him.” 

“I don’t know, kid. I know he’d never hurt me or Hope. But sometimes I just get so afraid….”  
“He’s… not making me do anything. It’s me. I’m not strong enough to leave him.” Emma whispered. 

“You shouldn’t have to be afraid, Ma. That’s not how a relationship works. You shouldn’t be afraid that you’re going to set him off that easily. That’s toxic.” Henry said, stopping when Hope came in. 

Hope yawned and rubbed her eyes, walking right up to Emma and wrapping her arms around her mom’s waist. 

“I’m sorry, Mom.” Hope whispered. 

Emma could tell the girl was crying because she felt Hope’s body shaking a bit, and then she watched her wipe her eyes. Emma squatted down so she was eye to eye with Hope and lifted her chin. 

“I’m not angry with you, my love. I just wish you would’ve told me. I would’ve brought you here to meet Regina. I understand wanting to meet your parents, I wanted nothing more than that my whole life. I’m never going to say no to you when it comes to this subject.” 

Hope nodded and sniffed, using her shirt to wipe her eyes.  
“I’m still sorry. I scared you.” She whispered. 

“You did. But I already knew where you were the whole time. I wasn’t necessarily scared about where you were going, it was how you were going to get here and… Hope, you could’ve gotten kidnapped or something.”

“Yeah… but I didn’t…” Hope mumbled, playing with the buttons on her mother’s shirt. 

“Mhm.” Emma hummed, standing back up again. 

“We should get going.” Emma sighed, hugging Henry and kissing his cheek. 

Hope shook her head and backed away.  
“No. I want to stay. I want to be here, with my real mom. I want to be here.” She said, her voice shaky. 

“Hope Swan, I am not in the mood.” Emma said, her tone deep. She looked at the little girl with a serious face and frowned deeper when the little girl gave her the same one. 

“I’m. Not. Leaving.” Hope said, crossing her arms. 

Emma huffed and walked towards the little girl, picking her up by the waist and throwing her over her shoulder. 

“Put me down!” Hope yelled, kicking her legs and punching her moms back. 

Emma grunted and walked towards the guest room, grabbing Hope’s bag and making her way downstairs with the screaming girl in her arms. 

She wasn’t surprised when she was met with Regina who was shaking her head.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Emma mumbled. She said it a bit louder so it could be heard over Hope’s screaming. 

“I haven’t said a thing.” Regina bit out. 

“I don’t want to go! Please!” Hope screamed, pushing against her mother’s shoulders. 

“Well, that sucks, kid. We’re going.” Emma huffed, grabbing Hope’s shoes and tucking them under her arm along with the backpack. 

She swung the door open, yelling out when she felt nails digging into the skin on her shoulder. 

“What the hell, kid?!” Emma yelled, setting Hope down. She grabbed Hope’s arm, gently, and tilted her head. 

“I want to… to stay… here.” Hope stuttered, her chest heaving and her eyes wet with tears. 

Hope yanked her arm out of Emma’s hand and ran towards Regina, barreling into the woman’s legs. 

“Please don’t make me go.” The little girl whispered, her arms wrapping around Regina’s waist. 

Regina stumbled and placed her hand on the girls back, her head tilting down.  
“I…” 

“Please.” Hope begged, burying her face in the woman’s stomach. 

“Hope…” Emma whispered, holding her hand out.  
“Come on, kid.” 

“You both can… you can stay. It’s late.” Regina murmured, watching as Hope’s head popped up. 

Hope stared at Regina, a grin breaking out across her face.  
“We can?” She asked, excitedly. 

“Just for tonight.” Regina said, sighing when Hope let go of her. 

Hope smirked and turned back towards her Ma. She knew that it wouldn’t just be for tonight. She had other plans to hopefully get her moms together and finally have a family. 

Hope tilted her head towards her Ma and stuck her bottom lip out. 

Emma laughed out of her nose and shook her head, tucking her thumbs in her back pocket.  
“Fine. Just for tonight.” 

Regina nodded and gestured for them both to follow her upstairs. Emma closed the door and dropped Hope’s shoes and bag by the doorway. 

Regina led Hope and Emma back into the guest room and remade the bed, ignoring the fact that Emma and Hope were behind her, fake yawning, loudly, and giggling. 

“You don’t have to make the bed, you know. We’re just gonna get in it and mess it up.” Emma said, ruffling Hope’s hair when the girl bumped her side into Emma’s. 

Hope swatted her hands away and huffed, running towards the bed and jumping on it. 

“I’m tired.” She mumbled. 

“Alright, fine.” Regina chuckled, stepping back from the bed and crossing her arms. 

Emma walked past the brunette and sat on the bed, unzipping her boots and tossing them to the side.  
“Thanks, Regina.” Emma smiled, looking up at the other woman. 

“No problem. Goodnight.” 

“Night.” Emma whispered, watching as Regina left and shut the door quietly behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW? In the beginning? I don’t know, hehe.

Flashes of blonde hair, breathy moans, a tangle of limbs. Emma’s hands held her down by her hips and her knee crept up between her legs. Regina reached for the back of Emma’s neck and tugged her forwards, capturing the woman’s lips in a heated kiss, and then-

And then Regina woke up. 

She sat up, her chest heaving. Regina squeezed her legs together with a groan and slid off the bed, raking her fingers through her hair. 

“Damn it.” She whispered, making her way into the bathroom. 

It was already morning, so she just decided on taking a shower and cleaning herself up. She walked to the shower and twisted the knob, her hand moving forwards to test the temperature of the water. She lifted her night shirt and slid her shorts off when she felt that the water was warm enough. 

Regina got into the shower and tugged the curtain closed with a heavy sigh, her hands moving over her face. She let the water slide over her face and body, her mind racing over the dream. Over and over again. 

After Regina got out of the shower, she dressed herself in a tight fitting black dress, and made her way into the hall, not at all surprised to see that everyone was still sleeping. She had a meeting today, so she was up fairly early.   
  


Regina shook her head when she opened the door to the room that Emma and Hope were in and found that both the woman and the girls mouths hung open, soft snores could be heard. Hope’s limbs were sprawled across Emma’s body and Emma’s arm laid across the little girl's chest. 

She chuckled quietly and closed the door, walking downstairs. Regina made herself breakfast and then picked up her purse, briefcase, and keys and left the house. 

__________________________

Emma woke up the next morning, her fists coming up to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Her brows furrowed when she sat up until she remembered where she was. She looked around the room with a sigh, her fingers wrapping around the blankets. 

She inhaled the familiar scent of the house, of Regina. It brought back so many memories, so many happy memories. Emma could only hope Regina felt the same way about her that Emma felt about Regina. She couldn’t really read Regina last night, which was unusual as she had always been easy to read. But then again, it has been about 10 years since they’d seen each other in person.   
  


To Emma, Regina just seemed sad. Unhappy.   
  


Emma slid out of the bed with a sigh and walked into the guest bathroom, she knew where everything was. It was almost the same as when she left, the bathroom curtains had changed from plain black to a black and grey patterned curtain, but everything else was the same. 

Emma took a shower and once she finished, she wrapped one of the soft, fluffy towels around her body and made her way back into the bedroom, sitting down on the bed beside the sleeping girl. 

She looked down at her pile of clothes on the floor with a sigh, and picked up her phone, texting Regina.   
  


_ I was wondering if I could borrow a pair of clothes? Or I can just wear my clothes if I can borrow some undergarments.   
_

Emma held her breath as she waited for Regina to answer. She knew she was stretching with asking Regina for something. Especially when she was able to spend the night and all. 

But she was surprised when her phone chimed barely seconds later, indicating she had received a message.   
  


_ Sure. Just put your clothing in the laundry room. I’ll throw them in the wash tonight so you can have a fresh pair of clothing to go home in.   
_

Emma was smiling until she got to the last part of the message.   
  


_ A fresh pair of clothing to go home in. _

It seemed like Regina was urgent in wanting her to go home. Maybe she didn’t feel the same way after all. Maybe Emma had fucked up just enough to ruin any chance at getting back together with Regina.

Emma groaned and laid back on the bed, forgetting that Hope was still there. Hope huffed and shoved Emma by her shoulder and then kicked her away, gently. 

“Hey, woah, kid..” Emma mumbled, putting her hand in between herself and Hope’s feet. 

“Mmm…” Hope hummed sleepily, picking up a pillow and throwing it at Emma.   
  


“Oh you’re in for it now.” Emma said, playfully. She sat up and tackled the girl, showering her with kisses on her forehead and cheeks. 

Hope giggled and squirmed under Emma, her hands moving to Emma’s shoulders as she tried to push her away. 

___________________________

A few hours later, Hope and Emma were sitting on the couch eating snacks when Henry and Regina both came home at the same time. They were arguing about something.   
  


“You can’t just go somewhere without asking!” Emma heard Regina say.   
  


“I’m in my 20’s now, mom. I’m not a kid anymore, I can do what I want.”   
  


She could practically feel Regina’s scowl. 

  
“Yes, well, you live under my roof and I was still extremely worried. A text wouldn’t hurt, would it not?”   
  


“Well, no-“ Henry started, but Regina cut him off. 

  
“I’m glad we’re in agreement.” 

The pair walked into the living room, Henry with his arms crossed and a pout on his face and Regina, as always, was smiling. 

“Hello. I thought you two might’ve been gone by now.” Regina said, smiling to lessen the harshness of what she said. 

Emma nodded and stood from the couch. 

“I know, but I really wanted to talk to you.” 

  
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Regina replied, leaning against the doorway of the living room. 

Henry stole Emma’s spot as the blonde stood from the couch and began walking towards Regina. 

Henry handed Hope a controller and they began playing video games. Regina cleared her throat and averted her eyes away from Emma who was making her way towards herself.

“Don’t play any of those shooting games with her. She’s a child.” Regina said, narrowing her eyes when Henry scoffed and shook his head. 

“Regina…” Emma whispered. She was now mere inches from the other woman. 

Regina felt her cheeks grow warm and she crossed her arms. 

“Yes, Emma?” 

“Please? I just want to talk to you.” Emma practically begged. 

“Fine. I’ll give you five minutes.” 

Emma beamed and walked past Regina, motioning for her to follow her up the stairs. 

Once they were both upstairs and in the guest bedroom, Emma closed the door in case there was yelling. She wanted to be prepared. Emma sighed and turned back towards Regina, her fingers fidgeting as she fought to meet the woman’s gaze. 

“Well?” She heard Regina say. 

Emma snapped out of her thoughts and took a deep breath and then looked directly into Regina’s eyes. 

“I still love you,” Emma cut Regina off before she could say anything, “And I know nothing I say can change what I did, but I’m truly sorry. I’m sorry I ruined everything and I’m sorry that I made you feel unloved and alone. Because I know that’s exactly what I did. I know what I did and I know that it was wrong and I regret it. You don’t understand how much I regret leaving you. Everyday I think about you. I can't stop. I try to be happy and move on and nothing I do works.” Emma ranted. 

“Emma...”

“Regina...” Emma said, shaking her head, “I just… I miss you so much. And I do love you. I don’t know how I went ten years without speaking to you and I don’t know if I can do it anymore. I don’t want to waste my life away being unhappy when I can be happy, if that’s what you want, of course.” Emma said. 

“But, I know I’ll understand if you say no because I fucked up and that probably ruined every last shred of hope I have.” The blonde sighed, her fingers moving to run through her hair. 

Regina stared at Emma for a long, long time. She was just staring into Emma’s face and the blonde felt herself grow fidgety and sweaty and she felt like if Regina didn’t say anything soon she would need to throw up or something. 

Emma sighed when Regina still didn’t say anything. 

“I just wanted to know if you’d try to go on a date… or even just a night out. It doesn’t have to be a date. But, yeah. I just wanted to know if you’d go out with me to a bar or something.” Emma shrugged. 

And again, Regina stayed silent for a long time. 

Emma felt tears grow in her eyes and she looked down at the ground, unable to look into the other woman’s eyes any longer. They were hard and she seemed to be glaring at Emma. It scared Emma. It truly scared her to have Regina look at her like that. Especially when Regina used to look at her in such a loving and caring way. Emma missed that. She missed the glint in her eyes and the mornings with Regina. They’d wake up in each other’s arms and have breakfast together. 

The only thing that would ruin it was that Emma would have to go home to the pirate. 

“I just… thought I’d ask..” Emma whispered, defeat evident in her voice. 

Regina snapped out of her own thoughts and looked at the other woman. She looked so incredibly sad and it broke Regina’s heart to see her this way. 

“Emma… I still love you too. But I think if we were to try something, we’d need to take it slow.” Regina offered. 

Emma’s eyes snapped up to Regina’s and she nodded, fervently. 

“Yes, yes. That’s fine, we can… well I can…” 

“We can go out to the bar.” Regina interrupted, an amused look on her face as she watched the stuttering blonde. 

“Wait, really?” Emma asked. 

“Yeah, it'll be fun. It’s a good start at your path to forgiveness. It’ll be like the old days.” Regina murmured. 

Emma beamed and nodded. 

“Like the old days.” She repeated. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m nervous about this one, but :’)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3

The next morning, Regina woke up with a twisting feeling in her stomach. Like her insides were going to be ripped out. Or like maybe she needed to throw up. 

She pleaded with her aching stomach to kindly fuck off as she sat up, pushing the blankets off of her legs. Regina stood from the bed and ran her fingers through her hair as she padded towards the bathroom. 

She pushed the door open and closed it, groaning when she heard what sounded like a herd of elephants run past her door. Well, Henry, Hope and Emma are awake, Regina concluded as she tugged the shower curtain aside and started the water. 

________________________________

Twenty minutes later, Regina had only just got out of the shower due to loud bickering coming from downstairs. She heard Henry yell something about something “not being fair” and then she heard Emma say “well maybe if you would’ve been quicker…” 

Regina huffed and dressed herself in a pair of slacks and a dark blue, satin button up. She made her way downstairs and towards the coffee machine without a word, her hand occasionally moving towards her aching stomach. 

Regina placed her hand on her forehead as she poured herself a cup of coffee, ignoring everyone else behind her. 

“Mom? You alright?” She heard, but she didn’t turn right away. She made sure she was stable before turning towards the three other people at the table. 

She nodded and flashed them a smile and then walked towards the door. 

“Just fine.” Regina croaked, picking up her purse and keys and headed out the doorway. 

“I’ll be back soon.”

Henry, Hope, and Emma all took turns glancing at each other until one of them finally spoke up. 

“What’s her problem?” Henry asked, pushing his own mug of coffee to the side. 

“Not sure, kid. She didn’t look too hot though.” Emma pondered. She couldn’t get over how pale and sickly the other woman looked. 

Hope sighed and tapped her fingers against the table. 

“Do you think she doesn’t want us here?” The small brunette whispered. The sadness in her voice almost made Emma cry right then, but she didn’t. 

Emma stood and crouched down by the little girl and shook her head, placing her hand on top of Hope’s. 

“No, of course she does. She just looks like she doesn’t feel too well, is all.” 

“Promise?” Hope asked, the back of her hand coming up towards her face to wipe at her eyes. 

“I promise.” Emma insisted, nodding slightly. Although she herself wasn’t thoroughly convinced, either. 

_______________________________

A few hours later, Regina came home and didn’t look any better. She, in fact, looked, and felt, far worse. 

Emma and Hope were snuggled up on the couch whereas Henry had opted for the chair on the other side of the couch. 

“Hey, mom…” Henry said, wearily. 

All six pairs of eyes watched the pale, nauseous looking woman make her way into the room with a small, weak smile. 

“Hey.” Regina rasped, sitting down next to Emma and Hope on the couch. 

Everyone was silent for a long moment, the only sound that was filling the room being the cartoon that was still playing on the TV. 

“We don’t have to go out tonight. You don’t look like you feel too well.” Emma uttered. 

“I feel fine.” Regina insisted. 

“Yeah, well, you don’t look fine.” Henry mumbled, slumping in the chair he was sat in. 

Hope looked between each adult as they spoke and sighed heavily and then slumped in her own seat. 

“I’m not forcing you to go out, Regina. You know you don’t have-“ 

“I’m fine. I’m going out with or without you.” Regina interrupted Emma, standing from the couch. 

She made her way up the stairs without another word. 

_______________________________

A few hours later, Henry was set up with dinner for Hope and himself, Regina and Emma were dressed up and ready to go out, and Emma had made a specific list for Henry to know what to do with Hope. 

“And don’t forget-“ 

“That she needs to take a shower. I know, Ma.” Henry grumbled as he plated some of the food for Hope that Regina had made. He then plated some for himself and sat down in his normal seat, ignoring Hope’s protests that she could “get her own food.” 

“Right. Thanks, kid.” Emma said, stuffing her phone into the pocket of her dress. 

Regina walked into the foyer, picking up her keys and yelling something about how “she doesn’t have all night.” Which Emma might’ve thought was true just by the fact that Regina looked like death itself right now. 

Emma and Regina drove in an awkward silence. One of them was always speaking up to try and fill that silence, which ultimately failed. 

As soon as they arrived, both Emma and Regina made quick work of hopping out of the car and quickly walking into the bar. They sat at the island and ordered drinks, Emma occasionally looking at Regina to make sure she was alright. And Emma was pretty sure Regina looked even more pale if that was possible. 

Emma sighed as the drinks were served and Regina immediately downed hers. 

“Maybe… maybe we should just go back to your place. This is obviously awkward for both of us and you don’t look well at all. I’m seriously fine with it.” Emma offered in a mumble. 

Regina huffed, clearly annoyed by the several attempts of the other woman to go back home. 

“Just come dance with me.” She croaked, grabbing Emma’s hand and leading her onto the floor. 

After a few minutes of them trying to show each other up, they finally came together, Emma’s hands resting on Regina’s hips, Regina’s arms wrapped lazily around Emma’s shoulders, and danced. 

It was a sort of slow dance. Their heads and bodies moving closer together, Emma began to sweat and she would wipe her clammy hands on her dress before returning them to Regina’s hips. The tension was heated, their faces moving closer and closer until their lips were inches apart from the other woman’s, their hands beginning to roam. 

But Regina, she found herself growing nauseous. The ache in her abdomen grew and she felt herself stumble backwards, catching herself and then stumbling again before everything grew dark. She heard people yelling out, Emma calling her name and then complete darkness. Quiet darkness. 


End file.
